Medical Marijuana News Channel

Friday, June 30, 2017

You've probably heard this before.As early as 2008, several reports, including one published in Molecular Pharmaceutics, began proposing various therapeutic pathways by which cannabinoids could treat Alzheimer’s Disease patients, but none were proven.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Geoffrey Reilinger, CEO of Compassionate Organics, spoke at a Boston City Council meeting.A medical marijuana dispensary could move in among the retail shops on Newbury Street next summer, after the Boston City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to let the project proceed.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Our neighbors to the north and south see the war on drugs as a failure and legal cannabis as an opportunity.Just like that, Mexico joined Canada this month in making medical marijuana legal nationwide. And the Canadian Parliament is considering making adult-use marijuana legal across the nation by mid-2018.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Doug Rice and his daughter Ashley arrive at the Utah Capitol for a Utah Patients Coalition news conference Monday, June 26, 2017, in Salt Lake City. A group of activists and Utah residents with chronic conditions has launched a ballot initiative to ask voters next year to pass a broad medical marijuana law. (Rick Bowmer/AP)Activists who say they are tired of waiting for Utah’s conservative Legislature to pass a broad medical marijuana law launched an effort Monday to ask voters next year to pass the law, a move that would bypass state lawmakers.

Monday, June 26, 2017

The marijuana industry has been growing like wildfire in recent years, which is a testament to the rapid changes we've witnessed in public opinion toward the drug, as well as the willingness of state governments to seek tax and licensing revenue through the legalization process.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

"Marijuana laws in America are broken," said Sen. Cory Booker, reintroducing a bill that would let some state weed laws supersede federal prohibition

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow state medical marijuana laws to supersede the current federal prohibition on weed. The bill is dubbed the CARERS Act, which stands for the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act.

Friday, June 23, 2017

New legislations would let state law trump federal prohibition. Justin Sullivan/Getty

The United States Senate is an intentionally slow moving body when it comes to passing laws, but the nation's upper legislative chamber is even slower when it comes to catching up with the popular will of the American people. That's especially been on display when it comes to the nation's pot laws, but now there's a growing core group of senators who are vocally crying out for the federal government to catch up with the states, at least when it comes to medical marijuana.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

In this Jan. 4, 2017 photo, people stand in Surterra, a wellness center in Tampa, Fla. Called "wellness centers," these facilities are designed to provide access to patients who qualified under the existing law. (Ricardo Rolon, The News-Press via The Associated Press)The Department last month outlined a procedure where it would give 15 days' notice before adopting a new rule and the public three days to submit commentsFlorida health officials have issued their proposed rules to implement the state’s constitutional medical marijuana amendment.

Monday, June 19, 2017

Matthew Staver/Bloomberg/Getty"Marijuana laws in America are broken," said Sen. Cory Booker, reintroducing a bill that would let some state weed laws supersede federal prohibitionA bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow state medical marijuana laws to supersede the current federal prohibition on weed. The bill is dubbed the CARERS Act, which stands for the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act.

Sunday, June 18, 2017

In the first few months of 2017, the Trump Administration made certain statements suggesting there may be “greater enforcement” of federal laws against cannabis. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also compared recreational cannabis to the opioid addiction crisis, while Attorney General Jeff Sessions rejected the idea that America would a better place if people could go down to their corner drug store to buy cannabis. So is it time to panic? Not exactly.

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken another step towards attempting to fully enforce federal marijuana policy. Earlier this week, Tom Angell of MassRoots found and published an article regarding a letter that Sessions personally wrote to congress asking them to more or less abolish the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment. That amendment is currently one of the only things that is protecting medical marijuana businesses and patients from federal involvement by banning the use of funds to prosecute such crimes as long as the individuals are fully complying with state law.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who support legislation that would enable states to set their own medical marijuana policies. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Bill would allows states to set their own lawsA bipartisan group of senators and representatives have reintroduced legislation that would enable states to set their own medical marijuana policies.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Rolling back protections from federal interference in state legalization laws could worsen the opioid overdose crisis

Amid a drug crisis that kills 91 people in the U.S. each day, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked Congress to help roll back protections that have shielded medical marijuana dispensaries from federal prosecutors since 2014, according to a letter made public this week.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Nearing the end of its 45-day review period, California’s proposed licensing regulations for medical marijuana were dissected and debated in downtown Los Angeles recently as part of a series of public hearings being held throughout the state. The room was packed with a mix of usual suspects—patients, business owners, industry veterans—and a surprising array of new voices, from a former aide for Kamala Harris (now a U.S. Senator), to a pharmacist and people from as far away as Palm Springs and San Diego. There was also a parade of California cannabis heavyweights, including representatives from Weedmaps and Kiva Confections.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Attorney General Jeff Session, right, and Vice President Mike Pence attend a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday, June 12, 2017, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. (Andrew Harnik/AP)When President Donald Trump signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill last month, he seemed to scoff at a provision that prevents the Justice Department from prosecuting state-legal medical cannabis. Now his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, wants to do away with the protection completely.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Columbus is changing zoning laws to accommodate cannabis cultivators and has already signed off on six businesses seeking approval from Ohio to obtain one of the state’s 24 medical marijuana grow licenses.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

When voters approved Amendment 2 back in November, it was clear that lawmakers were going to get a say in how to implement the new law. However, what we likely didn’t expect was that by the end of the legislative session, the House and Senate still wouldn’t have come to an agreement that they were both willing to pass. This led to a lot of uncertainty, and the Department of Health stepped in to ensure things would be up and running in the timeline set for the state in the amendment.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

One year after Gov. John Kasich signed Ohio's medical marijuana law, the state is starting to license growers but most patients still don't have access to legal marijuana.(Jackie Borchardt, cleveland.com)The landscape has changed since Gov. John Kasich signed Ohio's medical marijuana law one year ago today.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Organic Cannabis indica purchased from a Medical Cannabis dispensary in California.Credit: MjpressonMedical marijuana is legal in 26 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. Proponents of marijuana, backed by several studies, say the drug has many therapeutic uses. Opponents — and the U.S. government — however, say it has a high potential for abuse and no legitimate therapeutic value.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Both THC and cannabinoids were discovered to boost the effectiveness of these drugsThe benefits of marijuana have been touted at length: It has reportedly been used to treat patients dealing with chronic pain and multiple sclerosis, among other conditions.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Maryland’s highest court on Friday agreed to hear arguments from attorneys who represent finalists for licenses to grow medical cannabis. The attorneys say their clients should be allowed to intervene in a legal case that seeks to block a state commission from awarding any more licenses until a lawsuit is resolved.

Friday, June 2, 2017

For quite some time now, cannabis has been examined as a treatment for cancer – which has very few therapy options, all of which come with a whole slew of unwanted side effects. Currently, medical marijuana is mostly used as a way to curb the side effects that come with treatments like chemotherapy, such as nausea, pain and loss of appetite. However, there are a number of studies which suggest that cannabis has far more potential in the fight against cancer.